Thai pay-television broadcaster TrueVisions has retained rights for the Thai Premier League, the top division of football in Thailand, after agreeing to pay a near tenfold increase in the rights fee, according to the Bangkok Post.
The newspaper said that the new deal would run for three years, from 2014 to 2016, and would be worth a total of THB1.8bn (€42m/$57m). TrueVisions paid a total of THB200m for the rights in the previous three-year cycle, from 2011-2013.
The rights also include the Thai League One second tier, FA Cup and League Cup club competitions.
TrueVisions outbid pay-television rivals Cable Thai Holdings and GMM Grammy and was awarded the rights by the Siam Sport Syndicate agency on behalf of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) governing body after the first round of bidding.
The governing body does not have a president at the moment, but Siam Sport Syndicate told the Nation newspaper: “Originally, we intended to hold the auction for TPL's new three-year television deal after the FAT's presidential election. However, with the vote to find a new FAT president yet to be staged, we were afraid that further delay in the bidding process could cause damage for those involved.”